This invention relates to a plow for mounting on a vehicle, and especially to snow plows which are mounted on pick up trucks.
Typically, in order to mount a conventional plow to the truck, the user has to get under the truck and install mounting bolts which pass through mounting holes on the truck and corresponding mounting holes on the plow frame. Typically, two such bolts are used in mounting the plow to the truck between the front suspension and the front bumper. A lift chain, attached to a portion of the plow frame, forward of the truck front bumper, is then attached to a lift arm which extends from the front of the truck. As the lift arm is lifted, the plow is accordingly lifted and pivots about the two mounting bolts which mount the plow to the truck frame.
Conventional dismounting of the plow from the truck follows a similar procedure of removing the lift chain and rolling under the truck to loosen and pull the mounting pins.
In some cases a block, such as a piece of wood or the like, is placed under the plow frame to receive the weight of the plow frame and thus assist in loosening the pins for disengagement. The plow can be left on that same block, preferably positioning the plow mounting holes at the proper height for remounting to the truck.
While the above procedure is effective to attach and remove the plow, it requires the user to get under the vehicle in order to do so.
The most common use anticipated for plows of this invention is in moving snow. In the snow environment, there is usually snow on the ground, and there may be mud, water, and/or ice. Getting under the truck to mount and dismount the plow under these conditions is not desirable. Further, there may be dripping of cold water from the vehicle above which would drip on the person under the vehicle while mounting or dismounting the plow.
It is an object of this invention to provide plow attaching apparatus which circumvents the need for getting under the truck for routine mounting and dismounting of the conventional plow.
It is another object of the invention to provide a means for quickly attaching a plow to the vehicle, or correspondingly quickly detaching it.
It is a further object to provide a modified plow which includes attaching apparatus for quickly attaching the plow to a vehicle.
It is yet a further object to provide a vehicle with a plow which can be quickly attached to the vehicle or detached from it.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of attaching a plow to a vehicle, especially without having to get under the vehicle when the plow is attached or removed.
Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a method of quickly attaching a plow to a vehicle, or quickly detaching it.